Dallas Cowboys Blog

Jerry Jones on Miles Austin: He’s going nowhere

Before March 5, the Cowboys will have to place a restricted free agent tender on wide receiver Miles Austin, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Austin will be going nowhere in 2010.

Austin is among a couple hundred players affected by the upcoming uncapped season. Had a collective bargaining agreement been in place, Austin would have been an unrestricted free agent, which likely would have forced the Cowboys to look at using the $9.5 million franchise tag on the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

In all likelihood, the Cowboys will put the tender offer worth $3.168 million on Austin, which would require a team to fork over first- and third-round picks in the draft as compensation. Jones has said the team wants to sign Austin to a long-term deal.

“We’re just not going to have Miles Austin any place but with the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said on ESPN Radio (103.3 FM). “We need him.”